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Dispensing Services

The dispensary service prepares medication for in-patients, some out-patients and patients being discharged from hospital.

Pharmacists provide a check on all medicines, often liaising with the doctor or nurse, to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines.

Prescriptions are checked for their appropriateness in both therapeutic terms and in dose, frequency and duration (especially for antibiotics).

Drug charts for inpatients are amended to increase therapeutic benefit and endorsed with any relevant additional information such as how medicines should best be taken.

We are currently introducing “one-stop” dispensing across the hospital. Patients are encouraged to bring all their medication from home to ensure that there is no break in treatment on admission. These will be stored in a secure bedside locker, to optimise the use of Patients Own Medicines. Medication needed for discharge will be dispensed in advance to improve efficiency.

Only prescriptions from specific out-patient clinics and certain previously agreed prescriptions will be dispensed by the hospital pharmacy department. All others should be dispensed in the community. Prescription tax is applicable for all hospital out-patient prescriptions. Out-patients are normally supplied with 1 month’s medication, unless a specific course states otherwise or if the medicine is unavailable in the community

A Patient helpline is available between 9am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday, for patients with enquiries about medicines supplied by Southmead Hospital Bristol.

Patient Helpline

A patient medication helpline is available between 9am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday, for patients or carers with enquiries about medicines.